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I" at) Patented Oct. 18, 1927.

MARY n. reams-ante, es srr. uterine, seas steamers, nun ALn'X Becomes leaner PATENT or Frcarmio raor'onn or 'srn'awnoafan.

"No Drawing. Original application filed April ill, 1925, serial No. as W3. Divided and this application filed March a, rear. v

This application is a division of an application filed by -i rp'ril 18, 1925, Serial No. 2%,273, now patent No. 1,625,090, issued April 19, 15927, for improvements in the manufacture of strawboard.

For "a long period of time strawboard has been manufactured by variations of a procwhi'ch involves the disintegration of the straw by means of lime or soda, washing the resulting pulp and converting into board in the known manner; The resulting productclontains compounds whichare evidently volatile, since when used in the manufacture of containers for food products, for instance, the so-called flats and fillers for eggwcases, the contents of the containers take on what is commonly called the strawboard odor and taste, which is objectionable in many respects. 7

"The principal object of our invention is to provide inodorous strawboard, and to provide *strawboard which when used in the manufacture of containers for food products doesnot impart objeotionableodor taste to the contents of the container; also provide strawboard which is sterile.

Another object of our invention is to provide a process for producing such inodorous and sterile strawboard, and to provide a process which is adapted to commercial use.

Other objects of our invention will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

We have found that if either raw straw or disintegrated straw (pulp) is distilled with steam, the major portion or all of the volatile odorous compounds contained in the straw fibers may thereby be removed.

Straw is heavily contaminated with molds and bacteria, especially of the spore-forming variety, and even distillation with steam may not destroy all of these organisms. Germination may produce bacteria which will re act upon small amounts of carbohydrates and other organic constituents of the straw to produce odorous compounds, and it is, therefore, evident that a further improvement would be the complete sterilization of the straw or straw pulp at the time the volatile constituents are removed. We have accomplished this by adding to the straw or straw pulp in the stills a quantity of sodium fluoride, which is highly toxic to bacteria and molds, and whena suificient concentration of this material is used, a sterile board results lite-rial. no. it?

No doubt, other disinfectants could be found which are suitable for the work, and we do not restrict ourselves to sodium fluoride.

ably being lowest in cost for the purpose and large amounts may be used since it is recoverable in the filtrate.

In distilling the straw or straw pulp steam only sufficient through the material to remove the volatile compounds, and since they are volatile at ordinary ten'iperatures as well as at the temperaturesofboiling water, it is evident that they are capable of being removed at temperatures below that of steam at atmospheric pressure. Therefore, the volatile compounds can beremovedby the use of steamin an apparatus to which a fairly high vacuum has been applied, with a resultingsavingin the amount of steam required and a reduced cost per ton of material treated.

The volatile compounds of straw impreghate all portions of the fibre, and steamdistillation removes only that volatilized from the outer surface of the fibre, but all is "removed by continuing the distillation fora period, since the volatile odorous compounds are water soluble and apparently rapidly diffuse out of the fibre or fibre cells. This may be accelerated by first putting the straw fibres (raw straw or pulp) understeam pressure in a closed vessel, then quickly releasing the pressure, thereby breaking down the fibre or fibre cell walls and exposing the volatile compounds contained to a more rapid volatilizing action.

After the removal of the major portion of the volatile odorous compounds by means of steam distillation, the small remaining amount of volatile impurities may be re moved or destroyed by means of ozonized air or the application of ozone to the mass in any known manner, the ozone in this case replacing the use of sodium fluoride or other disinfectants.

After treatment the mass is filtered and made into board in the well known manner. The disinfectant may be recovered by evaporation of the filtrate.

Strawboard which has been deodorized is applicable for packing many food products and the deodorized board may be used for the manufacture of numerous kinds of food cartons and packing cases. Furthermore, sterile board or a board which. is practically with steam need be passed -However, that product was chosen as prob- 5 sterile should have many advantages over a. non-sterile board for use in packing prod ucts subject to the action of such molds and bacteria as are carried by the ordinary board.

Deodorized strawboard pulp is suitable for mixing with other odorless fibre pulp material for the manufacture of compounded pulpboard, which will be practically non-odorous and suitable for the manufacture of cartons and cases for the packing of foods and food products.

As many changes could be made in the above process, and many apparently widely different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description be interpreted as illustrative and. not in a limiting sense.

It is to be understood that the term straw fibre as used in the above description and in the appended claims refers to straw fibre in raw straw and also to straw fibre in disintegrated straw and in straw pulp.

What we claim is 1. Strawboa-rd comprising disintegrated new straw, steam distilled and subsequently ozonized, the strawboard being inodorous and sterile.

2. Strawboard comprising disintegrated new straw, steam distilled in the presence of a disinfectant and subsequently ozonized, the strawboard being inodorous and sterile.

3. As a new product suitable for the manufacture of food cartons and parts thereof, inodorous and sterile strawboard pulp comeases? prising new straw disintee'rated, steam distilled and. subsequently treated with m-zone.

4:. As a new product suitable for the manufacture o'li foodv cartons and parts thereof, inodorous and sterile strawboard puh .1 ((3111- prising new straw disintegrated, steam distilled. in the presence ot a disinlectaut and subsequently treated with ozone.

5. As a new product suitable for the man uitacture of food cartons and parts thereof, inodorous and sterile strawboard pulp com prising new straw disintegrated, steam dis tilled and subsequently treated with ozone and containing traces of a disinfectant.

6. As a new product suitable for the main utacture of food cartons and parts lhereo t. inodorous and sterile strawboard pulp comprising new straw disintergrated. steam dis tilled in the PIPSQHCQ of a disinfectant and subsequently treated with ozone and cnntaininp; traces ot a disinfectant.

7. The process of manufacturing inodorous and sterile straw fibre, which includes distilling out the volatile odorous compounds with steam and subsequently treating the mass with ozone.

8. The process of manufacturing inodorous and sterile straw fibre, which includes distilling out the volatile odorous compounds with steam and in the presence of a disinfectant, and subsequently treating the mass with ozone.

This specification signed this 20th day of February, 1927.

MARY E. PENNINGTUN.

This specification signed this 20th day oil? February, 1927.

ALEX BROOKING DAVIS. 

